Hello and thank you for visiting Elite Martial Art. I have spent over 30 years dedicated to the practice, research, and furthering of the art of Hapkido. It may sound cliché, but the study and practice became a way of life, and very much, a part of my life. Most of my Hapkido career was spent training under the late Founder MYUNG Kwang Sik. While the late Founder had thousands of students across the world, I spent the most time training under him day in and day out in the U.S. When asked where I was, I told them I was either at the office, at the dojang (school), or at home. A good friend of mine told me once, that “you have a very unique perspective. Not only were you a top student, but being Korean and understanding the language and culture, you had such insight into not only the art, but the master himself”. He also thought it would be interesting to tell the “tale”, and share my experiences with having had the privilege and honor of studying and serving one of the pioneers of the art of Hapkido.

The late Founder MYUNG was very much the epitome of the contemporary warrior. A true gentleman, businessman, family man, and above all, a tremendous human being leaving behind over 60 years of legacy in the martial art world. He was always a private man and I will try to limit discussions on his personal life other than what is publicly known.

There are many things lost in translation from Korean to English, and “serve” is not meant in the connotation of blindly following and forced servitude. It is said in a form of respect, to serve out of honor and respect. This will be a “freelance” effort, without strict parameters so the topics, discussions, and anecdotes will vary. I hope that you will enjoy the discussions, perhaps learn and gain insight into the art of Hapkido, the late GM, as well as my transformation over the years. Your feedback and questions are always welcome.

I am a product of my master. GM had the highest of expectations, expected nothing other than perfection, and even then, the best I got from him was a half grunt of approval, usually he just walked away when I did it perfectly. If I didn't, I got a disappointed look from the master, or, sometimes he would walk away.

My students have called me the "terminator" - heard that way after the fact. the fact is, i trained those that were serious, that wanted to learn, that put in the extra effort, i trained them harder, i pushed them harder, i treated them harsher.

While at times a cheesy movie and half hearted, often misguided and misrepresentation of martial arts, karate specifically, there are, as expected with any Hollywood movies, some grain of truth, moments of clarity and truth if you look hard enough, and, if you understand enough.

One thing that stands out most about the late GM was his passion and pursuit of perfection of Hapkido. He took the saying "practice makes perfect" to another level. For him, practice did not make perfect, "perfect practice makes perfect". With these few words, it epitomized his passion, drive, and expectation.

Some people believe that as a Korean, knowing the language and culture, that I was given "special" access to the GM. In some respects, that would be accurate. I understood the subtleties of what was not said, or said, of emotion, of lack of emotion. I understood the nuances of the Korean language.